The 2020 NFL season, left tackle Andrew Thomas’s first with the New York Giants, was a tumultuous season that had many wondering if the Giants selected the right person to protect the blind side of their quarterback.
Fortunately, since then Thoms, from his second season on, has been one of the standards at left tackle in the NFL, named a second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press in 2022.
It's not surprising that 2022 was the team’s best season in recent history when you consider that outside of his rookie season, that was the healthiest season of Thomas’s career. In 2021 and last season, the offense struggled without him in the lineup.
What makes him so good is the same thing that makes All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II special. It's the rare combination of size, power, and agility. That level of athleticism makes him one of the most complete left tackles in the game.
Looking at Thomas’s 2023 film, this is on full display in their Week 14, 24-22 victory over the Green Bay Packers. During the game, it felt as if the Green Bay defense threw everything they could at Thomas.
They lined up different body types, power rushers, speed rushers, line stunts, and twists against him, but did not find much success.
As dominant as Thomas was in that game, he still had his human moments. That brings us to the good, the great, and the ugly in Andrew Thomas’s game.
Thomas is one of the best run-blocking tackles in the NFL. His size allows him to cover up defenders easily, and his down blocks and base blocks create lanes for backs to run through.
The Good of Andrew Thomas run blocking ability was on display against Green Bay last year. Notice quick feet and balance. pic.twitter.com/XxudU6GpIm
— Coach Gene Clemons (@geneclemons) July 2, 2024
He has the speed to get to any level or location on the field. This makes him an excellent reach blocker, and it allows him to run up on linebackers on the second level and defensive backs on the edge. What makes him so good as a run blocker is his balance.
He is able to keep his feet when he is contacted, when he needs to change direction, and when he is in traffic. There are several plays in this game against Green Bay where he uses that balance to get to blocks that other linemen would have lost on. His willingness to not give up and his ability to execute sets him apart.
The Great: Patience in Pass Protection
Yes, Thomas has the size and athleticism to block any of the elite pass rushers, but the aspect of his game that usually goes unnoticed is his patience. You rarely catch Thomas chasing a defender.
The Great about Andrew Thomas is his pass blocking. The patience and the athletic ability were on full display vs the Packers. pic.twitter.com/YHhQLRySRC
— Coach Gene Clemons (@geneclemons) July 2, 2024
He uses his athleticism to put him in a great position and then does a great job of reading the pass rusher. It's difficult for ends and edges to get to his shoulder and make him open the gateway to the quarterback, and they almost always get covered up when they try to make inside moves on him.
His patience is most evident during line stunts. He does not chase or get nervous when defenders disappear. He knows how to pass a player off to the guard and uses his agility and balance to change directions for whichever defender works back outside to him.
You can actually see him handle stunts throughout this Green Bay game and you can even see that influence on Even Neal in 2023 when handling line stunts.
Thomas’s dominance in this game against Green Bay did not come without plays where he seemed to let off the gas. As a run blocker, there would be times when he did not get to the right angle, and the defender was able to slow down the rusher.
The Ugly of Andrew Thomas is when he does not finish blocks. It looks so strange because it feels like he was bored or just checked out for a play or had a momentary lapse. It does not happen often but you notice it when it does. pic.twitter.com/BhJmRapFD3
— Coach Gene Clemons (@geneclemons) July 2, 2024
There were other times when he did not stay on the block, and he would get moved out of the way, or when the defender would use his momentum against him to move him out of the way. He would dive at legs on a cut block and miss the defender.
It seems as though he loses focus from time to time because he is bored or asleep. When he is not locked in on the play, these lapses happen and can be detrimental to the play. They do not happen often, and that is why they are so recognizable when they do.
Coach’s Counsel
This is the one position on this offense with no questions coming into 2024. If anything, the coaching staff should figure out how to keep him on the field. A healthy diet of exercise to improve flexibility should be their main focus.
Better flexibility helps with injury prevention and promotes quicker recovery. The front office and coaching staff need to exhaust every option to ensure they keep him on the field for all 17 games, as he’s that big of a difference-maker.
